Toy fence



Nov. 26, 1940. S 2223,22;

TOY FENCE Filed July 30, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l 78 7 INVENTOR 7 JOHN MORRISON ATTORNEYS Nbv.26,1940. v J. MORRISON 2,223,222

TOY-FENCE FiledJuly 50, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN MORRISON m'TORNEYS Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES.

TOY FENCE John Morrison, Lake George, N. Y., assignor to Seco Toys, Inc., Glens Falls, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application'July 30, 1940, Serial No. 348,340

11 Claims.

The primary object of my invention'isto generally improve electrically lighted toy fences.

More particular objects are to provide an electrically lighted toy fence which may be readily and quickly assembled and disassembled; which may be compactly stored when disassembled; which may be electrically lighted by means of standard Christmas tree lamps; which requires no knowledge of electrical wiring when assembling and disassembling the fence; which on the contrary, employs a previously made circuit or string of wiring much like that used for Christmas tree lighting, although the distance between sockets is preferably dimensioned to fit the fence; which effectively and nearly completely conceals the electric wiring, yet which is readily separable from the wiring, the fence and the wiring each being complete, separate units; which is preferably made of wood, thereby avoiding risk of creating short-circuits by cutting through the wiring; and which may be made and sold at; low cost.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the toy fence and electric wiring elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly" described in the specification and sought to b'e'defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view 'showing'my improved fence in use;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a part of a fence section;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a fence with an electric lighting cord partially applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through'a lighted fence post, taken in the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the fence;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken in the plane 4.5 of the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view explanatory of the construction of the fence.

. Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, the fence as here illustrated comprises four main fence sections I2, l4, l6 and I8. In the particular example here illustrated, these are equal in length, and define a square area. The sections l4, l6 and I8 may be all alike, while the section l2is additionally ornamented by the 56 provision of a gate 20 pivotally mountedin a frame 22. The fence sections are detachably assembled together, as by means of connections or links 24; The fence is preferably electrically lighted, appropriate lamps for this purpose being indicated at 26. 'For convenience, the lamps used may be regular Christmas tree lamps, and eight such lamps are provided, two on each fence section, .it being customary to wire eight standard Christmas tree lamps in series for use on a 110-volt line. a The complete fence may be used as a toy fence; or it may be used as an ornamental fence around the base of a large Christmas tree, or, as here illustrated, it may be used around a miniature Christmas tree in association with other toys 15 which may be disposed-Within and around the fence. a r

- It would be a troublesome'thing to have to wire the individual sockets together or even to wire the fence sections together when assembling iii the fence. Many people would not have the technical understanding to handle the matter properly, and an element of dangerw'ould also be introduced. In accordance with the present invention, the wiring is a complete, intact, insulated unit much like a Christmas-tree cord, and it is separated entirelyfron the fence sections when the fence is disassembled, and is added bodily to the fence sections when the latter are assembled. Thus, referring to Fig. 3, the cord comprises a "pair of flexible conductors 30 and 32 of suitable length to conveniently reach a household wiring outlet. "The flexible cord terminates in a suitable plug 34. The particular plug shown is a little unusual in being a male and female plug, or an extension plug, it having a pair of prongs, one of which is indicated at 36, and also having a pair of slots in the opposite end surface 38 to receive another male; plug. This is of convenience for the present purpose in that it permits Christmas tree cords as well as the fencecord to be supplied from a single outlet.

A suitable number of lamp sockets 40 are connected in series with the cords 30 and 32. It is convenient to use eightsock'ets so that standard Christmas tree lamps may be employed, these having an operating voltage of approximately fifteen volts, the eight lamps then being suitable for use on a -120 volt line. In Fig. 3, four of the sockets have already been applied to the fence, these being mounted at the upper ends of the fence posts 42 and '44, while the other fourhave not yet been applied to the fence, but are adapted to be applied to the posts 46 and 48. It will be understood that all of the sockets are alike and are simply connected in series in the manner shown for the four loose sockets in Fig.3. The resulting cord is essentially the same as a Christmas tree cord, except that the distance between the sockets is preferably selected to just fit the requirements of the fence, and this distance is, in .the .case of the fence here illustrated, not equal-between all sockets. I

Referring to Fig. 2, each fence section comprises a base 50, fence posts 48 secured thereto, and fence rails 52 secured to the posts 48. The

ordinary sections, that is, the sections I4, 16 and? l8 in Fig. 1, each have four posts; two endposts 54 which are unlighted, and/two center posts which are lighted. The base strips '50 are preferably made of wood and are generally rectangular in cross-section. The fence'posts, as here illustrated, are round, but they may be square, or may have any other desired configuration. They are preferably .made of .wood. The fence rails52 are thin strips or 'slats'of wood. The posts are :secured :to the base by nails' driven upwardly through the base .into the posts, as is indicated at 56in Fig. 4. The rails'aresecured to the posts .by suitable small nails, as is indicated at 58 in Figs. 4 and6. In actual practice, the method of assembly may beinfluenced by the desired coloration, as the parts are most .conveniently colored by dipping. For example, I have made attractive fences by .nailing'the fence rails 52 tothe posts, and .dipping .this assembly in a suitable brown :stain'; separately dipping the base 50in a green stain or paint; and thereafter nailing the base to the lower {ends of the posts. The front section 12 differs merelyinhaving the lighted posts spread apart to increase the spacing therebetween, the center part of the section being provided with theextra posts 60 which are connected by a headpiece 62 to form the gate frame 22 within which the gate 20 is secured, the latter consisting merely of two'posts and twoshort rails, one .of the posts :being pivoted by nails struck into its upper and lower ends.

The links or connection pieces 24 may be made in a manner which is clearly shown in Fig. 5. Each link consists of two turned pieces of wood 64 connected by a dowel 66. Each piece 64 has a tapered shank 68, and an ornamentalhead 10 which in the present case is spherical. The heads 110 are'drilled sidewardly to receive the ends of the dowel 66, and the three pieces are glued together to form a single connection unit or link. The end or corner posts 54 are drilled at their upper ends to receive the tapered shanks 68. In Fig. '7, the link .24 is about to .be inserted in place. In the other figures, the links are shown in position, and it will be seen that the spherical heads ornament the upper ends of the posts.

The links may be painted a contrasting color; for example white. I V I I It will be understood that with this construction, it is a very'small matter indeedto assemble or disassemble the fence, it being merely necessary to dispose the sections in square-formation, and to then insert the four links 24, therescribed. For this purpose, the lighted posts 42 44, 46 and 48 are all vertically slotted on their inner sides, this being indicated at 12 in most of the figures of the drawings. The upper ends of the posts are bored, as is indicated at 14 Fin Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, to receive the lamp sockets 40. The base strips 53 are horizontally slotted on their inner edges, as is indicated at 16 (Figs. 2, 4 and 7) Moreover, the base strips are preferably vertically slotted at E8 in registration with the vertical slots 12 of the lighted posts. All of these slots may be conveniently formed by saw-cutting the same in va suitable powerdriven rotary saw. The vertical slots 78 form a continuation or the vertical slots 12, and intersect the horizontal slots l6, thereby bringing "the slots into continuous communication.

{Referring now to Fig. 2, in order to assemble the electric cordwith the fence, it is mereiy necessaryto push asocket 4% into the upper end of a lighted post, as "is about to be done at the righthand part or Fig. 2. The Wires leading to and from .'the socket 48 are then tucked or pushed intothe slot 12, and they bend in opposite directions in the horizontal slot 15, as is clearly shown at theleft-hand part ;of Fig. 2. The wiring maythus be readily and quickly .carried en--v tirely around the fence. The slots are preferably made large enough to freely receive and to adequately conceal the wires, but they are preferably. not made excessively large in order that they will exercise enough frictional restraint on the wires to hold the same inposition, once they have been pushed into theslots. There is always a certain amount of bend or tendency to bend in the wires,

and'this .helpsholdthem in the slots Without.

coloring, for example, white. This simplifies the instructions for assembling the fence, for the purchaser may then be'advised to simply assemble the four fencesections by means of the connecting links, and to then, while facing the gate of the fence, insert the white lamp socket in the top of a designated post, for example, the post B in Fig. 3. The other seven sockets are simply located. in the order of their position along the wire, moving to the right from post to post until allot the sockets have been placed,fo1lowing which the exposed'wire is all tucked into the slots of the posts and base. The purchaser may be cautioned that when the fence is to be used around a tree, the wiring should. be applied to the fence or should at least be placed in a loop around the fence before setting up the tree, for otherwise the cord will have to be pulled down over the tree from above.

It is believed that the construction and method of use as well as the many advantages of my improved lighted toy fence will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made tion as sought to be defined in the following claims. V

Iclaim: 1., A toy fence comprising a'plurality of fence sections, and a'plurality of links for detachably connecting said sections together, each of said sections including a plurality of posts, and a plu of said links being an inverted U-shaped member, the endmost fence posts of each section having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to re 7 ceive the legs of the U-shaped member.

without departing from the spirit of the inven- I rality of fence rails secured to said posts, each for" use with standard Christmas tree lamps, the

' posts secured to said strip, and a plurality of fence rails secured to said posts, each of saidlinks including two turned wood members having shanks and heads with a dowel extending 7 between said heads, the endmost fence posts of each section having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the shanks.

3. An electrically lighted toy fence comprising a base strip, fence posts secured thereto, and'an electric socket cord, a plurality of said posts having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the lamp sockets of the cord, said posts being slotted to receive the conductors of the cord leadingjto and from each socket, the base strip being slotted on its inner edge and being vertically slotted to register with the slots of the fence posts, whereby the cord may be laid into the communicating intersecting slots, said cord including a plug for insertion in a household wiring outlet, and a plurality of lamp sockets connected in series for use with standard Christmas tree lamps.

4. An electrically lighted toy fence comprising a base strip, fence posts secured thereto, fence rails secured to said posts, and an electric socket cord, a plurality of said posts having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the lamp sockets of the cord, said posts being slotted to receive the conductors of the cord leading to and from each socket, the base strip being slotted on its inner edge and being vertically slotted to register with the slots of the fence posts, whereby the cord may be laid into the communicating intersecting slots, and said cord including a plug for insertion in a household wiring outlet, and a plurality of lamp sockets connected in series for use with standard Christmas tree lamps, the spacing between the successive sockets being properly selected for the distance between successive fence post holes as measured along the slots to be occupied by the cord.

5. An electrically lighted toy fence comprising a plurality of fence sections, means detachably connecting said sections together, and an electric socket cord, each of said sections including fence posts, and fence rails secured to said posts, a plurality of said posts having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the lamp sockets of the cord, said posts being slotted to receive the conductors of the cord leading to and from each socket, and said cord including a plug for insertion in a household Wiring outlet, and a plurality of lamp sockets connected in series for use with standard Christmas tree lamps, the spacing between the successive sockets being properly selected to approximate the distance between successive fence post holes as measured along and between the post slots to be occupied by the wiring.

6. An electrically lighted toy fence comprising a plurality of fence sections, means detachably connecting said sections together, and an electric socket cord, each of said sections including a base strip, fence posts secured thereto, and fence rails secured to said posts, a plurality of said posts having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the lamp sockets of the cord, the base strip being slotted on its inner edge to receive the cord, said cord including a plug for insertion in a household wiring outlet, and a plurality of lamp sockets connected in series spacing between the successive sockets being properly selected to approximate the distance between successive fence post holes as measured to and along the base slots to be occupied by the cord.

7. An electrically lighted toy fence comprising a-plurality of fence sections, means detachably connecting saidsection's together, and an electric socket cord, each of said sections including a base strip; fence posts secured thereto, and fence rails secured to said posts, a plurality of saidregister with the slots of the fence posts, whereby the cord may be laid into the communicating intersecting slots, said cord including a plug for insertion in a household wiring outlet, and a plurality of lamp sockets connected in series for use with standard Christmas tree lamps.

8. An electrically lighted toy fence comprising a plurality of fence sections, means detachably connecting said sections together, and an electric socket cord, each of said sections including a base strip, fence posts secured thereto, and fence rails secured tosaid posts, a plurality of said posts having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the lamp sockets of the cord, said posts being slotted on their inner sides to receive the conductors of the cord leading to and from each socket, the base strip being slotted on its inner edge and being vertically slotted to register with the slots of the fence posts, whereby the cord may be laid into the communicating intersecting slots, and said cord including a plug for insertion in a household wiring outlet, and a plurality of lamp sockets connected in series for use with standardChristmas tree lamps, the spacing between the successive sockets being properly selected to approximate the distance between successive fence post holes as measured along the slots to be occupied by the cord.

9. A toy fence comprising a plurality of fence sections, a plurality of links for detachably connecting said sections together, and an electric socket cord, each of said sections including a base strip, a plurality of posts secured to said strip, and a plurality of fence rails secured to said posts, each of said links being an inverted U- shaped member, the endmost fence posts of each section having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the legs of the U-shaped member, whereby the fence sections may be connected by said links, the other posts having holes to receive the sockets of the cord, the posts being vertically slotted and the base strips being horizontally slotted on their inner edges to form intersecting slots to detachably receive the-cord, and said cord including a plug for connection to a household wiring outlet, and a suitable number of lamp sockets connected in series for use with Christmas tree lamps.

10. A toy fence comprising a plurality of fence sections, a plurality of links fordetachably connecting said sections together, and an electric socket cord, each of said sections including a base strip, a plurality of posts secured to said strip, and a plurality of fence rails secured to said posts, each of said links being an inverted U-shapcd member, the endmost fence posts of each section having. holes termed in their upper ends, adapted to: ".ireceive f the legs. :of the U-shaped ',;member, whereby: the ifence. sections mayi-be connected by saidxlinlss, the tether.posts-having holesto re ceive :the. sQckets:.-ofi the record, the posts being vertically slotted and the base strips being horizontally'lslotted on their inner edges to form intersecting slots'to' detachably receive-the cord,

and :saidcord including a plug for connection to a household wiring outlet, anda suitable number oiilamp sockets connected "in series for use with Christmas tree lamps, the spacing therebetweenbasecstrip, a pluralityef osts secured, to said,

strip; and a plurality of fence rails secured to said posts, each of said links including twoturned wood members having shanks and heads with at.

dowel extending between said heads, the endmostfence posts of each section having holes formed in their upper ends adapted to receive the shanks, whereby the fence sections may be readily connected by said links, the other posts having holes to receive the sockets of the cord, the posts being ,yertically slotted and the base strips being horizontally slotted on their inner edges to form.

intersecting slots to detachably receive the cord,

' and said cor-cl including a plug'for connection to a household wiring outlet, anda suitable number of lamp sockets connected in series for use with Christmas tree lamps, the spacing therebetween being properly selected to run from one socket to the next through the aforesaid slots.

. JOHN MORRISON; 

